as in bribe
something given or promised in order to improperly influence a person's conduct or decision
the customs official let us know that he might be prepared to look the other way if an appropriate backhander was slipped into his palm
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of backhander
In the first period, after taking an outlet pass in the neutral zone from Drew Doughty, McDavid punched the turbos, blew past McAvoy and catapulted a backhander over Hellebuyck for the game’s opening goal.
—
Fluto Shinzawa, The Athletic, 15 Feb. 2025
Henrique accepted a pass behind the net, curled in front and shoved a backhander in.
—Harman Dayal, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
On the decisive sequence, Cates barely won a race to the puck at the red line, chipped it in the air, batted it forward with his glove and then lifted a backhander past Bobrovsky with two Panthers bearing down on him from behind.
—Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2025
Defenseman Braden Schneider’s backhander in overtime beat Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson, snapping New York’s four-game winless streak, after the Rangers held 1-0 and 2-1 leads in the third period only to see Minnesota twice forge a tie on goals by Marcus Johansson and Freddie Gaudreau.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backhander
Fluto Shinzawa, The Athletic, 15 Feb. 2025
Henrique accepted a pass behind the net, curled in front and shoved a backhander in.
—Harman Dayal, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
On the decisive sequence, Cates barely won a race to the puck at the red line, chipped it in the air, batted it forward with his glove and then lifted a backhander past Bobrovsky with two Panthers bearing down on him from behind.
—Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2025
Defenseman Braden Schneider’s backhander in overtime beat Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson, snapping New York’s four-game winless streak, after the Rangers held 1-0 and 2-1 leads in the third period only to see Minnesota twice forge a tie on goals by Marcus Johansson and Freddie Gaudreau.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backhander
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backhander
Noun
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She was infamously shown stuffing $1,000 in cash bribes into her bra in a photo that was released by the feds.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
22 Apr. 2025
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Federal prosecutors accused Nadine and Bob Menendez of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in the form of cash, gold bars and lavish gifts from three New Jersey businessmen who sought help with legal troubles and business affairs.—
Ella Lee,
The Hill,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backhander.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backhander. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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